My Ins and Outs for 2024

Well, the New Year is here, and I know how cliché it can sound, “New Year, New You” and all that, but it truly is an opportunity to look back and reflect on the past year, and reflect on your wants and needs for this year. I bet most of you have already written down your goals, crafted your vision boards, and started writing all your plans for 2024 in your new planners.

To me, personally, this first week of January is always a tad bit overwhelming. Everyone starts to THINKG BIG, everyone wants to put their best foot forward, and everyone wants to do it all at once and get it done now, NOW! But here I am, still shaking off the post-holiday blues, unpacking my bags, and admiring my Christmas tree.

I’ve been seeing “Ins and Outs” lists all over social media and the concept resonated with me; like trends that cycle in and out of style, we have the choice to decide what we carry forward with us and what we release this new year.

I think it’s a gentler approach to reflecting on the past year and easing into the next.

Here are my health/nutrition-related Ins and Outs for 2024:

INs:

-Regular joyful and gentle movement

-Having treats after lunch

-Dinnertime with my partner as many times a week as possible

-Daily meditations and setting weekly intentions

-Going to sleep around the same time every night and reading before going to bed

-Adding protein to my snacks, and allowing myself to snack if I’m hungry even if lunch or dinner is around the corner

-Adding more color to my dinner plate

-Baking something new at least once a month

-Learning more about my body, my hormones, my cycle, and managing my conditions

-Using my cookbooks for greater meal variety!

-Meeting my fiber needs

OUTs:

-Unrealistic workout schedules I know I won’t stick to

-Old clothes that no longer fit me

-Comparing my food portions, preferences, and activity level to other people’s

-Social media during ‘transition periods,’ a.k.a grabbing my phone in between tasks and mindlessly scrolling social media

-Frivolous spending on things I don’t actually need in the now or in the near future

-Signing up for webinars or classes to learn more and then not showing up because I forgot

-Talking about other people’s bodies

-Falling into the supplement trap and buying supplements I don’t need

-Ordering takeout more than once a week

-Buying lunch at work more than once a week

-Following people on social media who don’t inspire me

These short and sweet lists can then serve as a template for me to make more specific goals as I settle into this new year. If not, or if anything, they can be gentle reminders and nudges towards more joy, more fulfillment, and more play in my pursuit to live a healthy and balanced life.

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Some guiding questions to help you write your own lists:

1. What holds you back or feels too heavy to bring into this next year?

2. How do you want to feel this year? What energy do you want to embody?

3. What practices did you try last year that contributed to your mental health?

4. How can you incorporate more whole, nutrient-dense foods into your diet?

5. What forms of movement help you stay centered, feel energized, and bring you joy?

6. How can you balance social interactions with meeting your personal health goals?

7. If you could choose a word for your 2024, what would that word be? What does this mean to you?

8. How can you remain flexible and adaptable when trying to work on your well-being?

9. Are there aspects of your daily routine that could benefit from changing? For example, your sleep, after-work, or morning routines, if so why and how can you go about making these changes?

10. What does respecting your body look and feel like to you?

See you next week to talk more about setting goals and establishing healthy habits.

Keep chewin’!